The Biden Administration's Campaign to "Make Anti-American Dictatorships Great Again" - Majid Rafizadeh

 

by Majid Rafizadeh

One day after the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of lifting the arms embargo on Iran in October 2020, the ruling mullahs unveiled a ballistic missile that reportedly can reach the United States.

• Buying oil from the mullahs of Iran means funding a regime that sponsors global terrorism and that is determined, as an oblation, to wipe out Israel and attack the US.

• One day after the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of lifting the arms embargo on Iran in October 2020, the ruling mullahs unveiled a ballistic missile that reportedly can reach the United States. The headline of an August 15, 2020 report by Iran's state-controlled Afkar News read in Farsi, "American Soil Is Now Within the Range of Iranian Bombs".

• The report boasted about the damage that the Iranian regime could inflict on the US: "By sending a military satellite into space, Iran now has shown that it can target all American territory; the Iranian parliament had previously warned [the US] that an electromagnetic nuclear attack on the United States would likely kill 90 percent of Americans." — Afkar News, August 15, 2020.

• The report also threatened the EU, which voted for lifting an arms embargo against Iran: "The same type of ballistic missile technology used to launch the satellite could carry nuclear, chemical or even biological weapons to wipe Israel off the map, hit US bases and allies in the region and US facilities, and target NATO even in the far west of Europe."

• The Biden administration, meanwhile, reportedly views Russia, China and Iran as "partners," "competitors, or deal-makers." Russia, China and Iran are not "partners". They are not "competitors." They are aggressors. You bet they would like to "help" the United States with "climate change" and "going green": it would give them a vast new market for their oil and gas and as well as increased leverage over the West. European and the US reports already allege that Russian "dark money" (anonymous funding) has been going to Western non-governmental environmental groups to advance that agenda.

• An America dependent for its oil and gas on anti-democratic dictatorships would be a windfall, economically and politically, beyond their dreams. Imagine an America reliant on the warmhearted goodwill of Russia and China.

• Now, in the new "Iran deal," it seems that not only has Russia been serving as the negotiator for the United States, and that the US has agreed to waive $10 billion in sanctions it just finished placing on Russia for having invaded Ukraine so that Russia will be able to build a nuclear plant in Iran, but also, according to Rep. Michael Waltz*, that all enriched uranium from Iran will now be sent to Russia. To top it off, according to Waltz, the new arbiter of whether or not Iran is in compliance with the deal, will be – Russia. What could possibly go wrong?

The West is in for yet another shock as the Biden administration seems to be turning to the Iranian regime -- and even approached the Venezuelan regime -- to purchase their oil instead of increasing US domestic oil production. Buying oil from the mullahs of Iran means funding a regime that sponsors global terrorism and that is determined, as an oblation, to wipe out Israel and attack the US. (Image source: iStock)

The West is in for yet another shock as the Biden administration seems to be turning to the Iranian regime -- and approached the illegitimate government of Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela -- to purchase their oil instead of increasing US domestic oil production.

Instead of providing thousands of Americans with high-paying jobs by exporting American oil and gas to Europe and other American allies, the US appears committed to enriching and empowering some of the world's most brutal and implacable dictatorships, starting with Russia and Iran, who appear to have no plans to stop or even mitigate their unneighborly behavior.

During an interview on March 2 about spiking oil prices, MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle asked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg if the Biden administration is considering activating the Keystone XL Pipeline or "working something out with Iran". Instead of responding that the US will not buy oil from top state sponsor of terrorism, Buttigieg said:

"Look, the president has said that all options are on the table. But we also need to make sure we're not galloping after permanent solutions to immediate short term problems where more strategic and tactical actions in the short term could make a difference".

The reply resulted in outrage. "Team Biden," Senator Ted Cruz tweeted, "would rather fund the Ayatollah's Death to America regime than allow Americans to produce energy for our own domestic consumption."

"Using North American oil to decouple economic dependency on the resources of hostile nations is a long term solution," said Rep. Ralph Norman, (R-SC)

"Biden announced he's banning Russian oil, that's great," Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) told Fox Business. "But we must increase American energy production to go with it, not looking to Iran or Venezuela. It's ironic that the president's reaching out to the administration in Venezuela, a dictator, to the Iranians, when he could be reaching out to U.S. oil and natural gas producers." He added, "Why doesn't he bring them all [US oil producers] back to Washington and have an emergency summit meeting here in Washington and ask them, 'how do we increase U.S. oil and natural gas production.'"

Buying oil from the mullahs of Iran means funding a regime that sponsors global terrorism and that is determined, as an oblation, to wipe out Israel and attack the US. Just one day after the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of lifting the arms embargo on Iran in October 2020, the ruling mullahs unveiled a ballistic missile that reportedly can reach the United States. The headline of an August 15, 2020 report by Iran's state-controlled Afkar News read, in Farsi, "American Soil Is Now Within the Range of Iranian Bombs." The report boasted about the damage that the Iranian regime could inflict on the US:

"By sending a military satellite into space, Iran now has shown that it can target all American territory; the Iranian parliament had previously warned [the US] that an electromagnetic nuclear attack on the United States would likely kill 90 percent of Americans."

The report also threatened the EU, which voted for lifting an arms embargo against Iran:

"The same type of ballistic missile technology used to launch the satellite could carry nuclear, chemical or even biological weapons to wipe Israel off the map, hit US bases and allies in the region and US facilities, and target NATO even in the far west of Europe."

Did the Biden administration forget that appeasing the Iranian regime will only embolden it? During the eight years of the Obama-Biden administration, five members of the UN Security Council lifted all rounds of crippling sanctions that had taken decades to place on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"Since 1984," according to Iran expert Michael Rubin, "the U.S. State Department has classified Iran as a leading state sponsor of terrorism. Iran not only funds proxy militias aimed at destabilizing regional states, but also sponsors many terror groups that engage in bombings, assassinations, and hijackings."

President Barack Obama, during his term, revoked four previous executive orders against Iran – thereby removing unilateral US sanctions and freeing up Iran's assets, estimated to be worth up to $150 billion. The US Department of Treasury removed nearly 400 Iranian citizens from a blocked list, freed up their assets and permitted them to do business with the US. The Obama-Biden administration gave the Iranian regime the ability to re-enter the global financial system and to export and import many commodities that were previously banned. The rest of the Western world followed suit: the EU removed all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions against Tehran and began doing business with the theocratic establishment.

What the international community soon saw, however, was a greater frequency of Houthi rockets launched from Yemen at civilian targets; the deployment of Hezbollah foot-soldiers in Syria, and increasing attacks by the Iranian-funded Hamas against Israel. With billions of dollars in revenue pouring into the pockets of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Tehran did not change its behavior for the better. Instead, it became more empowered and emboldened to pursue its revolutionary ideals of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. The US government-funded Voice of America openly called Iran "the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism."

During the Obama administration, at the peak of its appeasement policies towards the mullahs, Iran was emboldened to publicly harass the US Navy, detain US sailors and imprison American citizens. Khamenei repeatedly threatened "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and made incendiary remarks about wiping Israel from the face of earth "in less than eight minutes."

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, loyal allies of the US, have -- after being attacked and threatened by Iran for years and now finding themselves abandoned by the United States -- have begun turning toward China.

The Biden administration, meanwhile, reportedly views Russia, China and Iran variously as "partners," "competitors," or "deal-makers." Russia, China and Iran are not "partners". They are not "competitors." They are aggressors. You bet they would like to "help" the United States with "climate change" and "going green": it would give them a vast new market for their oil and gas and as well as increased leverage over the West. European and the US reports already allege that Russian "dark money" (anonymous funding) has been going to Western non-governmental environmental groups to advance that agenda.

An America dependent for its oil and gas on anti-democratic dictatorships would be a windfall, economically and politically, beyond their dreams. Imagine an America reliant on the warmhearted goodwill of Russia and China.

Now, in the new "Iran deal," it seems that not only has Russia been serving as the negotiator for the United States, and that the US has agreed to waive $10 billion in sanctions it just finished placing on Russia for having invaded Ukraine so that Russia will be able to build a nuclear plant in Iran, but also, according to Rep. Michael Waltz*, that all enriched uranium from Iran will now be sent to Russia. To top it off, according to Waltz, the new arbiter of whether or not Iran is in compliance with the deal, will be – Russia. What could possibly go wrong?

*"Mornings with Maria," Fox Business Channel, March 18, 2022

• Follow Majid Rafizadeh on Twitter

 

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18335/anti-american-dictatorships

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

The US Must Reestablish Deterrence - Judith Bergman

 

by Judith Bergman

Rebuilding deterrence will require a massive political and military recommitment to vital national interests. Those will require a policy reorientation that acknowledges that the US is the primary Western force in a world with global military threats from a variety of bad actors -- China, Russia, Iran and North Korea primary among them.

• The complacency with which the Biden administration has come to view military threats, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as a thing of the past has led to a misguided prioritization of issues such as climate change as the biggest threat facing the US. This misguided focus has come at the expense of a realistic definition of what the US's vital national interests are and should be in the face of actual national security threats.

• Over the past two decades, US leadership has waned, especially as it has retreated from the Middle East and Europe -- where its military presence has been reduced from 400,000 troops in the 1950s to just around 60,000 troops today. US credibility has been compromised, as its reputation for adhering to US commitments -- failing to prevent the crossing of red lines in Syria and the Afghanistan debacle, to mention just two examples -- has been wrecked.

• Rebuilding deterrence will require a massive political and military recommitment to vital national interests. Those will require a policy reorientation that acknowledges that the US is the primary Western force in a world with global military threats from a variety of bad actors -- China, Russia, Iran and North Korea primary among them.

• "How many times do you have to make this point that if you don't have more resources, you get political leadership that makes the case to the American people that we face threats on multiple fronts and if we want to defend our way of life as we know it and our interests around the world, protect our allies, not as acts of charity but because it benefits us, then you do it. And if you can't do it, you can't be a world power anymore..." — Former National Security Advisor, Ambassador John R. Bolton, Ronald Reagan Institute, February 24, 2022.

The complacency with which the Biden administration has come to view military threats, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as a thing of the past has led to a misguided prioritization of issues such as climate change as the biggest threat facing the US. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has proven, sadly, that US deterrence lies in tatters.

While Russia's invasion represents an absolute low point thus far, US deterrence has been eroding for years. The cause is failed policies and ill-defined national interests, which bad actors such as Russia, China and Iran have clearly been noting.

They saw, in 2013, President Barack Obama demonstrating that a "red line" by the US in Syria meant nothing, and that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could get away with killing 1,400 civilians with chemical weapons. They saw that Russia could invade Georgia and annex Crimea, while China could seize Hong Kong -- and the US let them, with no negative consequences, not even a side effect.

They also saw, in August 2021, that US President Joe Biden was willing to surrender Afghanistan to terrorists in sandals, abandon a US ally and give its citizens and people, who had loyally worked with the US for 20 years, over to murderous chaos.

It is this constant erosion of US deterrence -- the impression that the US is all talk and no action and can no longer be trusted as a global force -- which arguably led Russian President Vladimir Putin to calculate that he would be able to invade Ukraine without paying much of a price.

The task ahead for the US is how to prevent the Putins, Xi Jinpings and Khameneis of the world to become even further emboldened to try their hand at advancing their territorial ambitions on the Baltics, the countries of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Taiwan, the South China Sea and the Middle East. The US needs to reestablish the necessary deterrence in the face of military threats that the US -- and the West in general -- has come complacently to believe to be outdated and irrelevant, mere relics from the Cold War.

There are two things, primarily, that the US needs to do to deter bad actors and reassure allies that it is a force with which one can and must reckon: Focus on vital US national interests and massively recommit to the national security of the US and its allies. At the moment, as the historian Bernard Lewis often said, "America is harmless as an enemy but treacherous as a friend."

Vital national interests

The complacency with which the Biden administration has come to view military threats, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as a thing of the past has led to a misguided prioritization of issues such as climate change as the biggest threat facing the US. This misguided focus has come at the expense of a realistic definition of what the US's vital national interests are and should be in the face of actual national security threats.

More than two decades ago, in July 2000, the Commission on America's National Interests, with Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the Nixon Center, and RAND, produced a report, "What are America's National Interests?" (also known as the Belfer Report), which listed US national interests as "conditions that are strictly necessary to safeguard and enhance Americans' survival and well-being in a free and secure nation".

The Belfer Report listed five areas, primary among them the prevention, deterrence and reduction of the threat of attacks on the US or its military forces abroad, and ensuring the survival of US allies and their active cooperation with the US in shaping an international system in which we can thrive. More than 20 years later, as China and Russia seek to extend their spheres of influence, these two paramount interests are not being properly upheld by the US, which has been retreating from vital regions and deterrent military expenditures.

Focusing all US efforts in the Indo-Pacific to safeguard against China's territorial designs on the South China Sea ignores the fact that China's growing influence and power is global. In the Middle East, for instance, in the growing absence of the US, which, under Biden, has deprioritized the region while increasingly accommodating Iran, China is now the ascending power, investing heavily in and making agreements with practically all Middle Eastern countries, including close US allies such as Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The Chinese Communist Party has been filling in the growing vacuum that the US is leaving behind and propping up Iran, with a 25-year strategic agreement.

The Belfer report concluded:

"Instrumentally, these vital interests will be enhanced and protected by promoting singular US leadership, military and intelligence capabilities, credibility (including a reputation for adherence to clear US commitments and even-handedness in dealing with other states), and strengthening critical international institutions-- particularly the US alliance system around the world."

Meanwhile, the exact opposite has occurred: Over the past two decades, US leadership has waned, especially as it has retreated from the Middle East and Europe -- where its military presence has been reduced from 400,000 troops in the 1950s to just around 60,000 troops today. US credibility has been compromised, as its reputation for adhering to US commitments -- failing to prevent the crossing of red lines in Syria and the Afghanistan debacle, to mention just two examples -- has been wrecked.

A massive recommitment to international security and US allies

Rebuilding deterrence will require a massive political and military recommitment to vital national interests. Those will require a policy reorientation that acknowledges that the US is the primary Western force in a world with global military threats from a variety of bad actors -- China, Russia, Iran and North Korea primary among them. Safeguarding a world with an international system in which the US can thrive, therefore, requires that the US reengage globally, instead of pursuing a policy according to which threats can be isolated, as with China, to the Indo-Pacific, and entire regions such as Africa and South America, be ignored as irrelevant to US national security.

The Biden administration, or whatever administration follows it, would do well to acknowledge that China threatens the entire planet and that it cannot be contained by simply concentrating efforts in the Far East. Russia's threat to Ukraine is also not isolated, but could extend to Moldova, the Baltic states, Finland, Sweden and beyond. Iran's threat to the Middle East -- nuclear and through its terrorist proxies -- and its quest for hegemony cannot be solved through Biden's habitual accommodation and restraint, but on the contrary, requires robust deterrence.

There are a multitude of security challenges in the world that impinge on the national security of the US and its allies. The US, if it is to remain a global force, will have to recommit its efforts to confronting those challenges. These new threats means doubling down on strengthening US military and intelligence capabilities -- especially in the face of a technologically ascendant China that is extremely focused on its military modernization and in unseating the US as the primary global power. America will also have to prioritize regions that the US, under Biden, mistakenly assumes that it can leave behind, such as the Middle East.

"The argument that because we are pressed by China, which I have described as the existential threat to the West in the 21st century, we have to give up focus elsewhere, is simply wrong," Former National Security Advisor, Ambassador John R. Bolton, recently said at the Reagan Institute.

"And it's not to say that at any given moment in time your resources are fixed... because that is a view that ignores history. On December 7, 1941 at the end of the day our resources were fixed and a lot lower... How many times do you have to make this point that if you don't have more resources, you get political leadership that makes the case to the American people that we face threats on multiple fronts and if we want to defend our way of life as we know it and our interests around the world, protect our allies, not as acts of charity but because it benefits us, then you do it. And if you can't do it, you can't be a world power anymore... If you're going to play on the world stage, play on the world stage."

• Follow Judith Bergman on Twitter

 

Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18331/us-reestablish-deterrence

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

We have a new Axis of Evil, and the Biden administration is aiding it - Eric Utter

 

by Eric Utter

"Stupefying" doesn't begin to describe these facts.

"You can't make this up: President Biden is going to effectively give nuclear weapons to Iran, a country that routinely calls the nation he (supposedly) leads "the Great Satan," and that has repeatedly threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

U.S. officials say they are close to reimplementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a "deal" or "agreement" that is effectively a treaty.  Just as incredibly, he is letting Russia handle some of the negotiations with Iran for us.  Moreover, Russia recently announced that the United States had made written concessions to it that would allow Iran to continue trade with Russia, despite the fact that Iran recently fired multiple missiles at a U.S. consulate in Erbil, Iraq, and that much of Ukraine now lies in ruins courtesy of our negotiating proxy.  Reimplementation of the JCPOA would mean putting at least $10 billion into the Kremlin's coffers — at the same time, we are supposedly putting strict sanctions on Russia.

"Stupefying" doesn't begin to describe these facts. The Biden administration is aiding and abetting the modern-day Axis of Evil.

The Russia-Ukraine War never had to happen.  There is no absolving Russia and Putin of blame.  Period.  Putin is a monster.  But much of the blame for all the death and destruction can be put on President Biden.  This war likely would not have taken place if he hadn’t canceled the Keystone Pipeline on Day 1 of his administration.  And if he had sent substantive help to Ukraine in the months leading up to the Russian attack, which his own government knew was coming — as it loudly and incessantly proclaimed.  But Biden will brook no complaints, accept no blame.  In this way, he shares some traits with Putin.  Both are vainglorious — and don’t care much about others.

The U.S. was prosperous, confident, independent, and still largely free just two short years ago.  To a lesser extent, so was Ukraine.  And then along came Biden.

And now?  Never in the field of human conflict have so many been so screwed over by so few.  Including generations yet unborn.  (Though Democrats might have tried to abort them anyway.)

The Biden administration’s actions — and inactions — are utterly inexcusable.  For comparison, they are as if the FDR administration had been working on a "deal" with the Italians during World War II that would have granted them access to our nuclear research program...and then let Japan negotiate that "agreement" for us.  Shortly after it bombed Pearl Harbor.  "Preposterous" doesn’t begin to describe the actions of this administration.

The good news is that, short of using nuclear weapons, neither Russia nor China nor Iran can defeat or destroy the United States.

But they won't have to.  Because it appears the Biden administration is hell-bent on doing just that.

Ironically, it is the only thing these people seem capable of achieving.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

 

Eric Utter

Source: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/03/we_have_a_new_axis_of_evil_and_the_biden_administration_is_aiding_it.html

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Feminists protesting Lia Thomas say they are politically homeless: 'Democrats don't care about women' - Teny Sahakian

 

by Teny Sahakian

The activists say the words 'Democrat' and 'feminist' have lost all meaning

 

 

ATLANTA – A group of feminists protesting outside the women's NCAA swimming championships told Fox News they have "walked away" from the Democratic Party and believe many others have as well. 

"I was historically liberal. I would say I'm politically homeless now because I don't think the Democrats care about women and girls," one activist with the group Save Women’s Sports told Fox News. 

The women’s advocacy group has been outside Georgia Tech’s athletic center protesting transgender swimmer Lia Thomas competing in the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships since Wednesday. 

Georgia Tech's Grad Pride club attended the protest to show support for trans athletes Lia Thomas and Iszac Henig. (Fox News Digital )

"Feminism has become so muddied, much like the term Democrat has become so muddied. It's practically lost all meaning," Amy E. Sousa, one of the leaders of the group and a self-described "radical feminist," told Fox News.

LIA THOMAS TIES FOR FIFTH IN 200 FREESTYLE, IS IGNORED BY COMPETITORS AS SHE EXITS POOL

"I am a lifelong registered Democrat who ultimately feels politically homeless," Sousa added. "With the whole Biden election, I began to feel more and more disenfranchised from Democrats as a party, and I began to feel more and more that they did not represent my beliefs or my views."

Feminists protest transgender woman Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania's participation in the NCAA Division I swimming and diving championships.  (Fox News Digital )

She went on to say Biden’s executive order to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender identity was "a slap in the face" and "from that moment I really haven't known how to categorize myself politically."

Another member of Save Women’s Sports said, "I always voted as a liberal, from 18 to 39. I registered Republican in 2020 after two politicians told me they did not want my vote because of my stance on the rights for women and girls." 

The group believes in sex-based rights and doesn’t agree with many moves made by Democrats to include biological males into women’s activities.

Transgender woman Lia Thomas (left) of the University of Pennsylvania stands on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle as other medalists (L-R) Emma Weyant, Erica Sullivan and Brooke Forde pose for a photo at the NCAA Division I women's swimming and diving championships March 17, 2022, in Atlanta.  (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

"They wanted to put men in prisons and men on sports teams and in my daughter's school, so that's why I decided I cannot be a part of this party anymore — that doesn't even recognize my sex class," the woman continued. 

Another woman said she believes many others will abandon the Democratic Party due to its positions on women’s issues. 

Feminists protest transgender woman Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania's participation in the NCAA Division I swimming and diving championships.  (Fox News Digital)

"I know a lot of historically liberal people, especially parents, who have felt like they needed to walk away from the Democratic Party," she said. "I don't know who they're going to be voting for in the next elections. I think that we're going to have a lot of people walking away really."

 

Teny Sahakian 

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/radical-feminists-protesting-lia-thomas-politically-homeless-democrats-women

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Putin has 'no way out' of failed Ukraine invasion, former NATO ambassador says - Audrey Conklin

 

by Audrey Conklin

Russia is facing a bleak future, militarily and economically says former NATO Ambassador Kurt Volker

 

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has "no way out" of his weeks-long invasion of Ukraine, according to former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker.

While some foreign policy experts have expressed surprise that Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has continued into mid-March, Volker says he expected Ukraine to show strong resistance, and Putin has only dug himself into a deeper hole by continuing his war against the sovereign nation without showing any indication of agreeing to a peace deal so far.

"Putin who has no way out. He has gone all-in in this military effort to take over Ukraine. And it's failing," Volker, former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, told Fox News Digital. "So, he's just going to keep doubling down and doubling down on a military victory that is looking increasingly unlikely."

Kurt Volker, former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Putin is demanding Ukraine demilitarize, recognize Russian control over Crimea and renounce any efforts to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO is an intergovernmental, military-political alliance between the United States, Canada and a number of European countries. NATO was founded after World War II in 1949 in an effort to protect European countries within the alliance against threats from Russia — then the Soviet Union. 

RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES

Ukraine is not part of NATO, which plays no formal role in Russia's war with Ukraine, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy has called on alliance officials to implement a no-fly zone over his country to stop Russian missile attacks. Most NATO officials have thus far denied those requests, citing concerns of a third world war against Russia.

Volker said he "doesn't see" Ukraine bowing to Putin's demands "at all," with the possible exception of agreeing not to recognize Ukraine as a NATO ally. He does not expect Ukraine to demilitarize but instead strengthen its military and "look for other security guarantees."

Russian President Vladimir Putin speeches during the concert marking the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea, March,18 2022, in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

He added that Ukrainians "feel like time is on their side now."

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is demanding Russia commit to a cease-fire and withdraw their forces from Ukraine, which Volker does not think is likely in the near future but may happen eventually. 

RUSSIANS HIT ARMY BARRACKS IN MYKOLAIV IN SOUTHERN UKRAINE, LEAVING DOZENS DEAD: REPORTS

"I could see some commitments or some statement by Ukraine that they're not joining NATO, as long as they have sovereignty and territorial integrity. And they may accept also to agree to disagree over Crimea and … not accepting that their independent states are part of Russia, but also not fighting to take them back. That's conceivable," the former NATO ambassador said.

Even once an agreement is reached between the two countries, Russia is facing a bleak future, militarily and economically, according to Volker.

 

"Lady, the limit is 5, they won't let you check out!" Russians fight over sugar. (H/t @Reevellp) pic.twitter.com/9cvtgSFttB

— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) March 19, 2022

 

"Everybody can see it. People are leaving Russia. You can't get money. There's no there are shortages of goods in the stores. Everyone can see what's going on, and they know that this is a disaster for Russia," he said, adding that he expects Putin to be replaced by a more "rational" leader.

WHO: UKRAINE HEALTH FACILITIES STRUGGLING TO PROVIDE CARE

"Putin is acting in many ways irrationally, but get a rational actor in there — they're going to want to settle the conflict, stop the bleeding of the Russian military, get the sanctions lifted, so they can get an economy going again, and have some kind of peace deal with Ukraine and with the West," Volker continued. "That would be the rational thing to do."

Zelenskyy said Friday on his telegram channel that "meaningful negotiations on peace — on security for…Ukraine —  are the only chance for Russia to reduce the damage from its own mistakes," adding that it is "time" for Russian and Ukrainian officials to meet and talk.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a press conference on Russia's military operation in Ukraine, on February 25, 2022 in Kyiv. (Photo by Presidency of Ukraine/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be so huge that several generations will not be enough to rebound," he said.

Putin has referred to the invasion as a "special military operation" meant to "denazify" Ukraine — phrases that have confused and angered Ukraine and its Western allies.

"The West, collectively, is trying to fracture our society … to provoke a civil conflict in Russia, by means of the fifth column," the Russian president claimed in a Thursday speech. "The goal is Russia’s collapse."

 

Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for FOX Business and Fox News. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-failed-ukraine-invasion-former-nato-ambassador

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Mother of Hunter Biden's child provides docs to Delaware investigators, Devine says - Charles Creitz

 

by Charles Creitz

Will the president's son be indicted in federal tax probe?

 

 

An attorney for a woman who had a child out of wedlock with Hunter Biden said she testified before a Wilmington, Del., grand jury litigating a federal tax probe into the 52-year-old first son, New York Post columnist Miranda Devine reported Friday on "Jesse Watters Primetime."

Devine cited reports that Clint Lancaster, an attorney for Lunden Roberts, disclosed the development this week.

Lancaster told CNBC he also offered "a significant amount of [Biden's] financial records" to investigators in response to a subpoena. The attorney also said he "expects" the son of President Biden to be indicted as the case rolls on in his home state.

Then Vice President-elect, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., left, stands with his son Hunter (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File) (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

On "Jesse Watters Primetime", Devine spoke about her own research and reporting on the case.

"[Roberts] was working as a stripper in Washington, D.C. when Hunter met her. He frequented a lot of strip joints and got her pregnant," Devine reported.

PSAKI SEEKS TO QUASH RUSSIA-CHINA QUESTIONS REGARDING HUNTER BIDEN

Hunter Biden on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' (Randy Holmes via Getty Images)

"He said in his memoir ‘Beautiful Things’ last year that he had no recollection of her at all – couldn't remember the encounter that they had. And yet what his laptop shows is that they knew each other for at least almost a year."

Devine claimed Hunter Biden would bring her into his Washington office through the back door and that he told building staff that she was a scholastic basketball coach for his younger daughter.

"So he knew her very well, but she had to chase him for about 10 months through the courts to get him to acknowledge paternity. She had to get a DNA test," she said. "And I suppose in the end, she does not feel that warmly towards him, and you can't really blame her."

"And so I guess she's told the grand jury in Delaware everything she knows, and her lawyer is assisting her," Devine added.

Devine, author of the Hunter-centric book "Laptop From Hell", further told host Jesse Watters that she is still very concerned about what she described as alleged "influence peddling" abroad under the Biden name.

President Joe Biden (Getty Images)

"There's ample evidence, not just on the laptop, but from Tony Bobulinski, Hunter Biden's former business partner, who very courageously came forward and gave his documents to the FBI," she said, referring to a bombshell interview on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" in 2020.

"So we know that there are a lot of problems that Joe Biden has, and he's compromised with those countries [where Hunter did business]."

 

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/media/hunter-biden-federal-court-delaware-lunden-roberts-documents-devine

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

House members, Jewish orgs. urge security guarantees for Israel amid Iran talks - Omri Nahmias

by Omri Nahmias

With JCPOA revival in eyesight, members of Congress and Jewish organizations urging the administration to provide security guarantees to Israel

US Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) pauses while speaking about the bipartisan infrastructure vote in front of US Capitol in Washington, US

(photo credit: REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZ)

WASHINGTON – As the US and Iran are on the verge of reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement, House members and Jewish organizations are urging the administration to provide Israel with security guarantees.

On Friday, representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Brian Mast (R-FL) introduced the “bipartisan Bunker Buster Bill” that would authorize the president “to protect Israel with the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb capable of taking out Iran’s underground nuclear infrastructure.”

The bill would “ensure the US will continue to support Israel’s security as Iran increases nuclear enrichment.”

It would also require the US Department of Defense to consult with the Jewish state and report to Congress on Israel’s capability “to deter a full range of threats, including whether transferring ‘bunker buster’ munitions capable of taking out Iran’s underground nuclear infrastructure would advance both countries’ security.

“We must prepare for the serious threat of a nuclear-armed Iran when key provisions of the deal expire,” Gottheimer said in a statement. “That’s why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan bill to defend Israel from Iran and Hezbollah, and reinforce our ally’s qualitative military edge in the region with ‘bunker buster’ munitions.

Brian Mast (credit: CAMPAIGN WEBSITE)

"Iran and its terrorist proxies across the region must never be able to threaten the US or Israel with a nuclear weapon.” He said. “There should be nothing partisan about our national security, nor our relationship with our ally Israel.”

“Since the radical Islamists took over in 1979, the Iran regime’s goal has been destroying the Jewish homeland, Israel," Mast said. "We cannot sit silent while they continue trying to wipe Israel off the map. That’s why Congressman Gottheimer and I are working together to pass the Bunker Buster Act. Israel must have the tools it needs to protect its people against Iranian aggression.”

Meanwhile, the American Jewish Congress sent a letter to Congress on Friday advocating the provision of “fundamental security guarantees to allies as part of any new nuclear agreement with Iran.”

The letter was sent to majority and minority leaders in both chambers, along with the chairman and ranking members of the House and Senate Foreign Relations committees.

“As nuclear negotiations remain ongoing, ensuring that there are measures to protect the interests and security of our allies is paramount,” the AJC wrote.

“In light of recent events, bipartisan action to seek clarity and highlight concerns regarding the dialogue [has] been heavily voiced, and we stand firmly behind these members of Congress,” the letter reads. "However, we must transform words into action – and urge the federal government to provide the fundamental security guarantees requested by our allies as part of any new nuclear deal.

“These security arrangements must safeguard Israel’s interests, Abraham Accord partners, and other allies,” AJC president Jack Rosen wrote. “Moreover, the terms must dictate concrete measures to protect the region should Iran continue its pattern of tyrannical behavior.

“As negotiations continue, we ask for your support in protecting the interests of the US and our allies, safeguarding Jewish communities around the world, and thwarting the Iranian War Machine’s ambition to achieve breakout capability.”

 

Omri Nahmias

Source: https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-701758

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Greenfield vs. Puder: Israel's 'Balancing Act' in the Russia-Ukraine War - Frontpagemag.com

 

by Frontpagemag.com

A Frontpage Mag exchange.

 

Frontpagemag Editors' note: Below is an exchange between Frontpage contributors Daniel Greenfield and Joseph Puder on Israel and the Russia-Ukraine War. We hope our readers will find this dialogue/debate between two of Frontpage's finest to be thought-provoking and enlightening.

*

Joseph Puder: Israel and the Russian-Ukrainian War.
Jerusalem seeking to mediate a delicate balancing act. 

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow on Saturday, March 5, 2022. This trip on the Sabbath for an Orthodox Sabbath observing, kippah-wearing Prime Minister was certainly unprecedented. Judaism however, permits the desecration of the Sabbath in order to save lives. Bennett’s mission was to try to bring a cease-fire to the raging war in Ukraine, and offer Israel’s good offices, to mediate between the warring parties: Russia and Ukraine. A poll taken in Israel had shown that more than one half of the Israelis polled believed that Bennett’s trip on the Sabbath was justified. A majority of Israelis, 52 percent, support Israeli mediation of the conflict.

Israel appears to be in a delicate position in this European conflict. There are relatively large Jewish communities in both Russia and Ukraine, as well as ex-patriots from both countries living in Israel as full fledged citizens. Some of them still have relatives and friends living in both Russia and Ukraine. That is, nonetheless, the easy part. Far more delicate and sensitive is the fact that Russia has a military border with Israel in Syria. Currently, Israel is coordinated with the Russian commanders in Syria regarding flights over Syrian territory, to bomb Iranian targets in Syria along with their proxies who are seeking to operate against Israel from around the Golan Heights border. Israel also targets lethal weapons shipped by Iran to the Hezbollah in Lebanon through the Syrian land corridor. The Hezbollah terrorist organization is now in control of the Lebanese government, and seeks to establish a second front against Israel from Syrian territory. Additionally, with Moscow sitting at the nuclear negotiating table with Iran in Vienna, Israel can ill afford to alienate Putin by openly siding with Ukraine.

Israeli planes could easily encounter Russian ground-to-air missiles, or Russian pilots might engage Israeli pilots in aerial dogfights. Such outcomes, were they to occur, are not only dangerous for Israel, but they would be critical to Israel’s security. Fortunately, there has been a positive understanding between Israeli leaders (previously PM Netanyahu and now Bennett) and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. It has enabled the Israeli Air Force (IAF) to operate over Syrian airspace unmolested.

Vladimir Putin, it must be said, has a very warm relationship with the Jewish community in Russia, and especially with the Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi there. Many of his close friends growing up were Jews, and some are still a part of his inner circle. Putin, unlike his Soviet predecessors, has had a soft spot for Israel. He is aware of the fact that a large portion (12% according to the New York Times) of Israel’s population speaks Russian, and that they belong to Russia’s cultural sphere. There are few other places on the globe where there is such a large concentration of Russian speakers. In 2005, Putin bought a Tel Aviv apartment for Mina Yuditskaya Berliner, his beloved high school German teacher who immigrated to Israel in the 1970’s. 

In terms of realpolitik, namely pragmatic policies, devoid of emotional, ethical, and moral considerations, and based on Israel’s national interests, dictates a definite tilt toward Russia in the conflict in Ukraine. But Israeli society and Israeli governments have always been guided by moral and ethical considerations. The Holocaust has left an indelible impact on the people and leaders of Israel. Israelis have always identified with the suffering of people in areas of conflict or natural disaster, sending medical teams of doctors and nurses as well as material aid to countries (even hostile ones) devastated by earthquakes, flooding, or war.

There is also another factor added to Israel’s delicate balancing act. For Israel, as a close ally of the United States (US) supporting the US line is essential albeit, it is not always mutual as the case of the nuclear talks with Iran shows. The US is acting contrary to Israel’s security interests. Still, Israel followed the US position at the United Nations General Assembly vote to condemn the Russian invasion into Ukraine.

In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, most Israelis are closely identified with the Ukrainian people and their Jewish President, Volodymyr Zelensky. Even those Russian-Israelis, who like and admire Putin, recognize that he is the aggressor in this conflict. One Russian speaking Israeli from former Soviet Moldova, Eduard Shtrasner, held a minority view and he told the NYTimes, “I am not in favor of war, but I can justify what Putin is doing. I read, I listen, I gather information, and if I were him (Putin), I would do the same thing.” Israelis are shocked by the scenes of the devastation of Ukrainian cities, and moved by the plight of the refugees, some of whom have been brought to Israel.

Israel has responded immediately to the crisis in Ukraine. Just three days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Israel announced that it is sending 100-tons of humanitarian aid and medical supplies to Ukraine. In addition, Israel is setting up a field hospital in western Ukraine near the Polish border. At the same time though, Israel has rejected requests to send military and intelligence equipment to Ukraine, to placate Russian concerns. The Israeli government did, however, allow private Israeli companies to sell Ukraine military communication equipment and robotics.

As a security conscience nation, Israel is siding with Ukraine, whose national sovereignty was brutally violated by the Russian invasion. But Israel also has to show consideration, if not agreement, with Putin’s position. Putin was born in 1952 and grew up with stories of the “patriotic war” as the Russians refer to World War II. His father fought the invading Nazis in the Red Army uniform. In his mind, Russia must secure its western flanks against potential invasions. Russia was indeed invaded by Nazi Germany in 1941 from the West, and by Napoleon in 1812. To the many of us in the West, it may not be a realistic fear nowadays, but for some Russians, it is.

In a 2014 interview with the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, marking the 25^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, he (Gorbachev) stated that he thought that the NATO enlargement and incorporation of former Warsaw Pact countries was a “big mistake,” and a “violation of the spirit of the statements and assurances made in 1990.”

Putin, rattled by worldwide condemnations and sanctions, is an angry man, hence, Bennett’s mediation has its significant risks particularly since he lacks the charisma of his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu, nor does he have his international experience. Dealing with a former KGB agent will test him like never before. Ukraine President Zelensky, the true hero in the present crisis, has reportedly asked Bennett to mediate between the two sides. For Bennett, who has been facing a beating in recent polls, and is subject to public criticism in Israel, mediating on the international stage might be the opportunity to raise his profile as a world leader. Hopefully Bennett can rise to the occasion, become a skilled juggler, and perform a delicate balancing act for Israel.

*

Daniel Greenfield Responds: Israel Doesn't Need Another War.
The best thing for Israel to do in Ukraine is to keep its distance.

Israel is fortunate enough that there is a conflict that has the attention of the world and that does not in any way, shape or form involve it. Unfortunately, everyone is trying to drag Israel into it anyway. Including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the head of a dysfunctional leftist coalition, whose efforts to “mediate” between Russia and Ukraine, have satisfied neither side and only infuriated everyone.

Joseph Puder states that Israel is in a “delicate position” in the conflict. But Israel doesn’t need to occupy any position in this conflict. Both Russia and Ukraine are Iranian allies and regular foes of Israel at the United Nations.  Neither side could remotely be described as friends or allies.

Puder refers to a balancing act, but what a balancing act does is annoy everyone.

It’s better not to be involved in someone else’s war than to create ambiguity about whose side you are really on. Denying support is less offensive than appearing to support the other side.

Every time Bennett reaches out to Putin, he infuriates the Biden administration, the Europeans and the Ukrainians. When Israel provides a platform for Zelensky, it angers Putin and the Russians.

There’s no point in playing at mediating a conflict in which both sides are determined to win.

Putin wants to carve up Ukraine and the Ukrainians want the Russians to leave. Negotiations under these circumstances are a farce. Neither side has any interest in listening to anything Bennett has to say.

If anyone should have learned of the futility of peace negotiations in a zero-sum territorial conflict, it’s the Israelis. But Bennett, who cut a traitorous deal that put Islamists and Communists in a governing coalition, betraying his party’s conservative voters so he could spend two years playing at being a leader, is particularly incapable of understanding that both sides in the war actually do mean what they say.

The smart play for Bennett would have been to stay out of someone else’s war. Or, at the very least, to cut a meaningful deal in Israel’s national interest in exchange for supporting either side. Considering Russia’s presence in Syria and its ties to Iran, along with Ukraine’s role as a major trading partner for Iran, all sorts of potential options might have presented themselves to someone with the wit to take them.

The United States and the European Union have sided with Ukraine and have pressured Israel to get more involved. But considering that the Biden administration and the EU are rushing to cut a nuclear deal with Iran, it’s hard to see why Israel could or should rush over to do them any favors.

When Biden tried to wheedle the UAE and the Saudis into doing him a favor by raising production, their leaders refused to take his phone calls until the negotiations broke off. And that appears to have happened. The Bennett government rushed to do favors for Biden and got nothing for it in return.

What indeed have Prime Minister Bennett and Israel gotten in exchange for their aid and mediation?

Both sides continue to badger and threaten Israel. Rumors spread around the internet, such as the false claim that Bennett urged Zelensky to surrender, amp up the antisemitism and the attacks on Israel.

Bennett’s meditation hasn’t helped Israel, but it’s raising his profile. Where Prime Minister Netanyahu used international forums to pursue Israel’s interests, Bennett is pursuing his own image. Before too long, he will have to hand over the big chair to Yair Lapid, a leftist who is Israel’s version of Trudeau, as part of the deal with the devil that he and his allies made in order to force Netanyahu out of office.

Prime Minister Netanyahu recently called out Bennett's foolish posturing, saying that, “In days like these, it’s advisable to take positions with the utmost caution.”

“I call on the government to behave responsibly, to speak less about what they don’t need to talk about and to deal more with existential security threats,” he urged.

“The nuclear deal with Iran threatens our existence,” Netanyahu said. “And on this very issue Bennett and Lapid aren’t saying anything and aren’t doing anything.”

Netanyahu was far from a perfect leader, but he understands the stakes in a way that Bennett does not.

While the world focuses on Ukraine, the Biden administration is ready to cut a deal that will put over $100 billion in the pockets of an Islamic terror state while signing off on a nuclear weapons program meant to wipe out Israel. A serious leader would focus on Iran instead of chasing hashtags in Kiev.

*

Joseph Puder Responds: The Hope that Bennett May Rise to the Occasion.

As indicated in my previous piece, the majority of Israelis surveyed support Israel’s mediation between Russia and Ukraine. Daniel Greenfield overlooked the fact that Bennett was asked by Ukraine’s President Zelensky to serve as a go-between. Neither I nor Daniel Greenfield are qualified to judge whether Russia and Ukraine are “satisfied” with Israel’s mediation, and there is no way to verify whether the parties involved are “annoyed” with Israel. The fact of the matter is that both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky have been on the phone with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for hours, and have continued to have ongoing conversations with him.  

Bennett is not the only one trying to mediate between the warring parties; Turkey’s authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is doing the same. Bennett is clearly seeking to bring the parties to declare a humanitarian cease-fire, which is a gesture that virtually all Israelis support.  

While Russia’s anti-Israel voting record at the UN might be deplorable, closer to home, Russia has given Israel’s Air Force a green light to attack Iranian and Hezbollah targets throughout Syria. To Israelis, this is far more relevant and critical to our national security than a UN vote, which is far less vital to Israel.    

Greenfield is wrong about Bennett’s mediation “infuriating” the Biden administration. Israel’s Ha’aretz newspaper reported (March 15, 2022) that the US ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides said that the Biden administration has “no complaints” with Israel acting as a go-between for Russia and Ukraine. Moreover, it appears that Bennett’s mediation has done some good. According to the Times of Israel (March 15, 2022), “The Russians initially demanded the ouster of Zelensky and disarmament of Ukraine. That is no longer their position. And the Ukrainians have also come down from their previous positions,” regarding joining NATO.  

PM Bennett explained to his cabinet following his meeting with Russian President Putin in Moscow that Israel has “a moral responsibility” to try to bring an end to the human suffering in the Ukrainian war. Given the relatively large Jewish communities in both Russia and Ukraine, Israel is compelled to seek their protection, especially in embattled Ukraine. Concurrently, there are large Russian and Ukrainian born Israeli citizens, with relatives living respectively in both Russia and Ukraine.    

As I pointed out in my piece, Israel and the Russian-Ukrainian War, “Israeli society and Israeli governments have always been guided by moral and ethical considerations. The Holocaust has left an indelible impact on the people and leaders of Israel. Israelis have always identified with the suffering of people in areas of conflict or natural disaster, sending medical teams of doctors and nurses as well as material aid to countries (even hostile ones) devastated by earthquakes, flooding, or war.”    

Maj. General Yaakov Amidror, currently a fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, “commended” Bennett for his efforts. He pointed out that, “If the Russians were in a situation where they don’t think Israel can be an honest broker, they wouldn’t waste half a day speaking with the Prime Minister.” Considering that Israel voting with the US and the Europeans at the UN General Assembly to condemn the Russian invasion into Ukraine is proof enough that Putin takes Bennett’s mediation seriously.  

At this time, when death and destruction is occurring all over Ukraine, it is hardly the time “to cut a meaningful deal in Israel’s national interests in exchange for supporting either side,” as Greenfield has suggested. This would surely come when the fires of war have been extinguished, and Israel has had a part in it.   

As I pointed out in Israel and the Russian-Ukrainian War, Bennett’s mediation has its significant risks particularly since he lacks the charisma of his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu, nor does he have Netanyahu’s international experience. Dealing with a former KGB agent will test Bennett like never before. I also addressed the alleged complaints from Biden and the Europeans about supporting the Ukrainian side. For Israel, as a close ally of the United States (US), supporting the US position is essential, albeit, it is not always mutual as is the case of the nuclear talks with Iran show. The Biden Administration is acting contrary to Israel’s security interests.

Greenfield cited the growing trade between Ukraine and Iran, but the trade records I have seen for 2020 indicate that the trade between Israel and Ukraine is twice that of Iranian trade with Ukraine. Insofar as Ukrainian antisemitism is concerned, the need to go as far back as Stepan Bandera, Simon Petlura, and Bogdan Khmelnitsky is not necessary; my own parents escaped being murdered by Ukrainians during WWII while escaping the Nazis. My mother’s courage and Red Army soldiers saved them from certain death. Modern Ukraine is, however, different not that antisemitism suddenly disappeared completely from Ukraine, but at least under Jewish President Zelensky, Ukraine seeks to be modern, democratic, and is adopting western values. And clearly, Zelensky is not Petro Poroshenko, and he hopes to end the corruption that prevailed during his predecessors’ presidencies.     

In the final analysis, my hope is that Bennett can rise to the occasion, becoming a skilled juggler, and perform a delicate balancing act for Israel that will end the bloodletting in Ukraine, and serve Israel’s interests.

*

Daniel Greenfield Responds: When One-Sided Nobility Turns Disastrous.

Joseph Puder argues that  “At this time, when death and destruction is occurring all over Ukraine, it is hardly the time ‘to cut a meaningful deal in Israel’s national interests in exchange for supporting either side,’ as Greenfield has suggested.”

Personally I can’t think of a better time.

Puder’s is a very noble sentiment and it’s the same one-sided nobility that has been disastrous for America, Israel, and other civilized countries who put chivalry ahead of national interests.

When death and destruction are occuring in Israel, no one has refrained from being so impolitic as to come with demands and deals in hand. Few in Israel outside the inner circle of politicians want the country to act like a ‘Freier’. No doubt the villagers on the firing line, from Hamas and Hezbollah, and potentially from Iran, would rather be noble and dead, than smart and alive.

As much as some Israeli politicians and cultural elites would like the country to act like it’s Belgium or Canada, it’s in a much worse neighborhood with a whole lot more on the line.

When the war is over, however it ends, Americans will be poorer for it and Israelis will have watched Prime Minister Bennett squander time and energy that would have been better directed at curbing Iran’s nuclear plots on a pointless episode of hollow posturing on the world stage.

After all the humanitarian aid, the rescue operations, and the refugees taken in, the international agenda will quickly flip back to denouncing Israel for not sufficiently appeasing Islamic terrorists.

Russia and Ukraine (assuming there still is one) will vote together to condemn Israel at the UN.

As they have repeatedly in the past.

Because as much as Russia and Ukraine may hate each other, they hate Israel even more.l

Contrary to Mr. Puder’s assertions, Bennett is not mediating the conflict (he would be hardly qualified to mediate a cafeteria food fight, let alone a war in a whole other region of the world), he is being used by both sides to put on their own show and generate more propaganda.

But perhaps while Bennett is spending “hours” on the phone with the two Vladimirs (Vladimir and Volodymyr – both names mean a variation on Ruler of the World) he can take a moment from listening to their grievances to ask them to stop supporting Iran. Or stop opposing Israel.

There is an unfortunate ‘Shtadlan’ history of Jewish leaders who spend all their time boasting about how much influence they have and how well their negotiations are going. From FDR’s ‘Court Jews’ who refused to be so rude as to mention the Holocaust in his presence, to ‘Rudolf Kasztner who negotiated so well with the Nazis that he practically became one of them, the professionally useless intercessor who just wants to be a big man is alive and well.

Unlike the millions of Jews who died in the Holocaust -- including in the Ukraine.

But if an Iranian nuclear weapon detonates killing millions of Jews, they can go to their graves knowing that Prime Minister Bennett was focused on negotiating an end to a war elsewhere.

Israelis don’t need more stories of how a prime minister they didn’t want and whose elevation was more of a coup than an election is engaging in carefully balanced negotiations not involving them. Or of how difficult this task that no one in Israel actually asked him to undertake is.

What Israelis, like Americans, should be asking is, “How is any of this in our national interest?”

Joseph Puder argues that even though Ukraine still venerates mass murderers of Jews like Stepan Bandera, Simon Petlura, and Bogdan Khmelnitsk, the country is no longer antisemitic.

"Ukraine seeks to be modern, democratic, and is adopting western values," he contends. Ukraine’s anti-Israel voting record at the UN certainly suggests that it has adopted the modern, democratic and western values of antisemitism.

But, as Russia shows, you don’t even need to be modern, democratic and western.

And as Israel shows, for too many Jewish leaders everyone else’s problems come first.

Joseph Puder is a regular Frontpage Mag contributor. Daniel Greenfield is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

 

Frontpagemag.com

Source: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2022/03/israel-steps-mediate-russia-ukraine-war-joseph-puder/

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter